Nintendo's patent for Pokémon-like capturing mechanic rejected by Japan Patent Office amid Palworld lawsuit

The Japan Patent Office (JPO) has rejected Nintendo's patent application for a capturing mechanic similar to that seen in Pokémon games, dealing a potential blow to the company's ongoing lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair.

The details:

• The rejected patent application, originally filed in March 2024, describes a game mechanic where a "capture item" hits a "field character," triggering a “determination of whether the capture is successful,” after which the character becomes owned by the player. The mechanic appears similar to the catching system used in Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee and also describes using items to restrict character movement on the field.
• As reported by GamesFray, it appears that the JPO rejected the application after reviewing “prior art” submitted by a third party, citing that the inventions "were invented in Japan or elsewhere before the filing of the application." Games cited in the rejection include Pokémon Go, Craftopia, Monster Hunter, and Ark: Survival Evolved, all of which are said to include mechanics with enough similarities to those outlined in the patent.
• While unrelated directly to Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s ongoing legal battle against Palworld studio Pocketpair, it’s possible that the undisclosed third party behind the submission could indeed be Pocketpair. After being accused of patent infringement, the developer previously provided several examples of games with similar mechanics in its defense, including Nintendo's own The Legend of Zelda. The patent rejection may not impact the lawsuit at all, but Pocketpair could now use the situation to help sway the opinion of a judge.